Video - Buses designated to evacuate Aleppo civilians attacked and set ablaze by Jaish Fateh militants

#Syria: Video reportedly shows buses designated to evacuate #Aleppo civilians attacked by Islamic militants and set ablaze. pic.twitter.com/Kru13MUjhS

— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) December 18, 2016

Footage near #Sarmeen, #Idlib shows entire convoy of buses heading to #Fuah #Kfarya in flames. #JFS blamed. #Sarmeen is #JundAqsa HQ pic.twitter.com/u8U0HX8ewk

— Riam Dalati (@Dalatrm) December 18, 2016

#AQ nt "rebels" burning buses,screaming sectarian insults against #Shia, preventing #Fua #Kfarya - East #Aleppo evachttps://t.co/T3kTuNOOba

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) December 18, 2016

Saraya al-Tawheed, alined w/ al-Qaida claim the responsibility: "religiously we hv green light 2kill any Shia coming out of Fua and Kfarya". pic.twitter.com/41dSMHFomT

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) December 18, 2016

Jaish Fateh militants have set fire to several buses that were going towards Fuah-Kafraya in Idlib countryside pic.twitter.com/wud4CNQp1u

— Hassan Ridha (@sayed_ridha) December 18, 2016

More pics of the buses which were burned by militants near Sarmin south of Binnish, Idlib pic.twitter.com/by7g7wf5tP

— Hassan Ridha (@sayed_ridha) December 18, 2016

Evacuation buses burning after being attacked by rebels in Syria. pic.twitter.com/F4FxrOEBC7

— Murad Gazdiev (@MuradGazdiev) December 18, 2016

Pictures of Christmas crib inside the destroyed Maronite Cathedral Saint Elias of Aleppo.

Pictures of Christmas crib inside the destroyed Maronite Cathedral Saint Elias of Aleppo. HT: christianophobie.fr.

Video - Aleppo Syrian citizen on the tragedy that he lived under Militants rule in the eastern neighborhoods.

#Aleppo Syrian citizen speaks of the tragedy that he lived under Militants rule in the eastern neighborhoods pic.twitter.com/0e1A4Qbrkg

— Yusha Yuseef (@MIG29_) November 29, 2016

Video - Lavrov, his Iranian and Syrian counterparts gave a press conference after meeting in Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the fight against terrorism should continue and the warring sides should return to peaceful reconciliation. (Sputnik)

Lavrov said that Moscow and Tehran support Syria's sovereignty, the fight against terrorism and the restoration of the country's economy. 

Moscow, Tehran and Damascus agree that the Syrian peaceful settlement has no alternatives. 

He said that neither Russian, nor Syrian warplanes have been conducting operations in Syria's Aleppo for ten days. Lavrov said that Russia hoped that the humanitarian pause in Aleppo would be used by the United States to separate terrorists from Syrian rebels.

Lavrov also said that Moscow urges the UN not to listen to the "hysterical campaign of lies" on the situation in Aleppo. 

Lavrov said that some "foreign players" use the Syrian conflict to achieve own goals. The foreign minister commented on the operation to retake Mosul from Daesh, saying that both Russia and Iraq are interested to take measures to stop militants from fleeing to Syria from the Iraqi city. Read the full story here.

'The war on Christianity' - 'Islamist' Turkey sponsored rebels shell Aleppo Orthodox Christians.

'The war on Christianity' - 'Islamist' Turkey sponsored rebels shell Aleppo Orthodox Christians.  (AP).

Opposition fighters shelled a government-held neighborhood in the northern city of Aleppo early Saturday, killing at least three people and wounding dozens, Syrian state television and an activist group reported.

In Aleppo, the shelling on the predominantly Christian and Armenian neighborhood of Suleimaniyeh on Saturday morning killed six, wounded more than 50 and damaged several building, state TV reported.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists around the country, said the shelling killed three and wounded "tens."

Syrian rebels have shelled residential areas in government-held parts of the contested city in the past, killing hundreds of people in the attacks.

Aleppo, Syria's largest city and its former commercial capital, became a key front in the country's civil war after rebels launched an offensive there in July 2012. Hmmmm.........Expect the Turks to cheer the advance of the 'rebels'. Read the full story here.

no coincidence "moderate" rebels chose to start shelling Christian areas in Aleppo on eastern Orthodox Good Friday, a clear message #Syria
— Edward Dark (@edwardedark) April 11, 2015

Pics: some of the destruction caused by rebel shelling of Christian quarter of Aleppo today(Nayal, Sliemanieh) #Syria pic.twitter.com/ByQyhUZ3Yj
— Edward Dark (@edwardedark) April 11, 2015

pics of large destruction due to rebel shelling on Christian area of Sliemanieh today(ppl still under rubble) #Syria pic.twitter.com/yZRHSOIY2g
— Edward Dark (@edwardedark) April 11, 2015

pics of large destruction due to rebel shelling on Christian area of Sliemanieh today(ppl still under rubble) #Syria pic.twitter.com/yZRHSOIY2g
— Edward Dark (@edwardedark) April 11, 2015

pic: residents of Christian quarter of Sliemanieh Aleppo looking at devastation from rebel shelling today #Syria pic.twitter.com/8usnDcJuzU
— Edward Dark (@edwardedark) April 11, 2015

state tv footage of the wounded from rebel shelling on Aleppo arriving at Razi hospital at 4 a.m today: https://t.co/aUUux52kl3 #Syria
— Edward Dark (@edwardedark) April 11, 2015

terrorist rebels of Aleppo said they're going to heavily shell the city & they are now. 10s of rockets & dozens dead & wounded today #Syria
— Edward Dark (@edwardedark) April 11, 2015

Syria - Russia Closes Aleppo Consulate.

Syria - Russia Closes Aleppo Consulate.(RN).The Russian Consulate General in the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo has suspended operations, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Syria reported on Tuesday.
“The operations of the Consulate General in Aleppo have been suspended,” the spokesman said. “Regarding all consular-related issues, contact the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Damascus.”
Aleppo, Syria's largest city, 340 kilometers (211 miles) north of the capital Damascus, has been the scene of months of vicious fighting between government forces and rebel groups. Most of Aleppo is controlled by the Free Syrian Army, an armed opposition group. The city's residents are suffering shortages of food and electricity.
Fifteen civilians were killed and dozens injured by two blasts that “shook the area in between the University Residence and the Architecture Building in the southern part of the Aleppo University,” the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Facebook on Tuesday. The monitoring body said the cause of the explosions was unclear, but the city has previously been hit by government airstrikes as well as rebel car bombs.Hmmmm....Where did the staff go?Read the full story here.

SYRIA - A Christian community trapped and in risk of dying in silence in the north of Aleppo.

SYRIA - A Christian community trapped and in risk of dying in silence in the north of Aleppo.(VN).Aleppo (Agenzia Fides) - About a thousand Christians among Greek-Orthodoxs and Roman Catholics are trapped in the small village of Yaakoubieh, all Christian, in the north of Aleppo.
They are completely worn out, with no food, no electricity, lack of basic necessities, and find themselves in the midst of heavy fighting between loyalist forces and opposition groups. They are unable to leave the village and "are in terrible condition, where they risk extinction."
This is the alarm launched through Fides Agency by the Franciscan friar Fr. François Kouseiffi OFM cap, pastor of the church of San Francesco in Hamra (Beirut), who deals with the care and assistance of about 500 Syrian refugees. The refugees have reported to Fr. Kouseiffi the plight of the village of Yaakoubieh, and where many of their relatives are.
Before the war there were about 3,000 Christians in the village between Armenians, Orthodoxs and Catholics, and now almost all have fled.
In the village there are Franciscan nuns who, says the friar, share the fate of civilians. "The situation is very serious. The faithful are trapped. We are trying in every way to help them to come to Lebanon.
In past days, some of our emissaries left to go there, but the journey is dangerous and, after more than a day's journey by land, they reached Aleppo. The contacts with the remaining Christians are sporadic. They launched the alarm for their survival. They risk of dying in the general silence.".
The Syrian Christians are paying the price of the destabilization of the country and suffer like other Syrian citizens but, like other minorities, they are the most vulnerable groups. Out of the approximately four million Syrian refugees, the Syrian Christians are about 500 thousand, 25 thousand of which are in Lebanon.
In past days, recalls Fr. Kouseiffi, "the wave of frost has made their condition even more difficult: we are in the middle of a humanitarian emergency. They talk about their drama, their hopes, and dreams of a better future for their country".Source: The Vatican Today.

Syrian army says it is in control of Aleppo, FSA denies claims.

Syrian army says it is in control of Aleppo, FSA denies claims.(AA).Syria said its troops seized a rebel-held Aleppo district on Wednesday after storming it and “annihilating” most of the insurgents, as a long-threatened ground assault on the key city was launched. The Free Syrian Army (FSA) promptly denied the claim, acknowledging that a “barbaric and savage attack” on the neighborhood of Salaheddin was under way but later saying they had recaptured much of what they lost. The offensive came as Amnesty International raised concerns about the plight of civilians in Syria’s commercial capital and warned both sides they would be held accountable for attacks on residential areas. Early in the afternoon, state news agency SANA said “our brave armed forces have taken full control of the district of Salaheddin” and “inflicted heavy losses on groups of armed terrorists, killing or wounding a large number of them.” Dozens of rebels were captured, including foreigners, and others surrendered, SANA said.
It said troops seized a large number of arms. State television said the “armed forces dealt violent blows to the mercenary terrorists” in Salaheddin, “annihilating most of the terrorists.” But FSA spokesman Colonel Abdel Jabbar al-Oqaidi said: “It is not true the regime army has seized control of the district. “It is true that there is a barbaric and savage attack,” he told AFP via Skype. “They are using all the weapons at their disposal to attack Salaheddin, including fighter jets, tanks and mortars.” He said there was fighting in many districts, but it was concentrated on Salaheddin because of the “great symbolic value for us and the army.” Hours later, rebel commander Wassel Ayub said the FSA had launched a counter-attack and retaken part of Salaheddin. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights likewise said the rebels were making gains. “Clashes also raged in Aleppo’s Al-Midan district as rebels tried to seize” an air force security bureau, the Britain-based watchdog said. At least 37 people were killed in Aleppo -- 17 civilians, 10 rebels and 10 soldiers -- from a total of at least 162 nationwide, it said. “I believe the real number is much higher but it is impossible to document the figures because of the ferocity of the clashes” in Aleppo, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said. A total of 225 people -- mostly civilians -- died in Syria on Tuesday, one of the worst days for casualties in the nearly 17-month uprising the Observatory said last week has cost more than 21,000 lives.Read the full story here.

Video - The Syrian army moving into Aleppo neighborhoods.